ARCATA, Calif. — The end of a grueling roadtrip finally got the better of the Cal State Monterey Bay basketball team, but it didn't stop the Otters form clinching a spot in the CCAA Tournament despite an 87–76 loss at Humboldt State Saturday night.

CSUMB (9–8 CCAA) clinched a spot in the tournament thanks when Cal State Dominguez Hills lost at home to Cal State L.A., 71–56, in a late Saturday final. With three games left to play, the Otters are four games clear of the elimination zone, ensuring their first postseason berth since they made a run to the CCAA championship game in 2009.

"I'm very proud of this team," says CSUMB Head Coach Rob Bishop. "We were picked to finish ninth and who knows? We still have a chance to finish as high as fourth."

The Otters had a chance to finish their 4–game roadtrip with a flourish. They roared back from 12 points down Saturday night to take a 67–63 lead midway through the second half before they finally hit the wall.

The Otters missed their final 11 field goal attempts, including several wide open 3–point looks. Ryan Nitz and Alex Fertig kept the Otters close with clutch free throws down the stretch, but it wasn't enough to compensate for their cold shooting from the floor.

Nitz finished with a game–high 24 points to go along with a team–high eight rebounds. Evan Zeller chipped in 14 points and four assists. The Otters also got 14 points from Devin Murphy and 12 points and six boards from Fertig.

"It was the end of a long trip and we just ran out of gas," said Bishop. "I thought we played hard, but we didn't make shots down the stretch and they made a few more plays than we did."

CSUMB returns to The Kelp Bed for its final regular season home games when it hosts Cal State L.A. and Cal State Dominguez Hills Feb. 19–20. The Otters will close the regular season Feb. 27 at Cal State East Bay.

Then the real fun begins.






GO OTTERS!